Archive for October, 2006

Maxtopia posts on a controversial book that denies the existence of Jesus and feels icky. He introduces his subject with mention of “The Great Disappointment” and concludes with a reference to the Baha’i Faith. -gw

Its called millennial fever, It comes around every now and then. A ton of people were expecting Jesus in 1844. you can go and read about the ”Great Disappointment” When It didn’t happen the way they wanted it. …

If you are into the whole messiahs coming to earth to help people but getting slapped in the face, read about the Baha’i Faith, they think the world has reached a new ”Aquarian” type era too.

Maxtopia, “I feel ICKE,” MySpace
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If a man wishes to know God, he must find Him in the perfect mirror, Christ or Bahá’u’lláh. In either of these mirrors he will see reflected the Sun of Divinity.

http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/o/BNE/bne-74.html#pg91

Maxtopia posts on a controversial book that denies the existence of Jesus and feels icky. He introduces his subject with mention of “The Great Disappointment” and concludes with a reference to the Baha’i Faith. -gw

Its called millennial fever, It comes around every now and then. A ton of people were expecting Jesus in 1844. you can go and read about the ”Great Disappointment” When It didn’t happen the way they wanted it. …

If you are into the whole messiahs coming to earth to help people but getting slapped in the face, read about the Baha’i Faith, they think the world has reached a new ”Aquarian” type era too.

Maxtopia, “I feel ICKE,” MySpace
~~~~~~~~
If a man wishes to know God, he must find Him in the perfect mirror, Christ or Bahá’u’lláh. In either of these mirrors he will see reflected the Sun of Divinity.

http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/o/BNE/bne-74.html#pg91

speed ceilidhing in the mcewan hall, edinburgh university, uploaded on March 27, 2005 by hisprincess on flickr

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Five years have seen my idealism shrink and cynicism rise, only to have my inner cynic once again overshadowed by his idealist counterpart. I quit my long-standing job at the radio station and took a break from school to work, applied to the University of Edinburgh, and decided to study religion rather than classics. …

Back in autumn 2004 I’d hit rock bottom, and I decided that I needed to take charge and do something. When I decided to take time off school and apply for a year abroad, it was supposed to be about having control over my future. Yesterday, I realized that the future has been on my mind constantly, but not as a worry, not a source of stress, but as an exciting unknown gleaming with optimism, because it’s my own, and I have faith that I can make something good out of it.

Edinburgh, uploaded on April 22, 2006 by dhansak79 on flickr

I’ve only barely begun to make something out of it, of course; a year of study in Edinburgh is hardly ‘one giant leap for mankind.’ But I have made a decision. For a long time now, I’ve been thinking, deliberating, and idly talking about joining the Peace Corps or a similar organization.

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John-John, “You’ve come a long way, baby,” LiveJournal
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Sounds like an interesting guy. Thank God for these souls who see the future as “an exciting unknown gleaming with optimism.” -gw

speed ceilidhing in the mcewan hall, edinburgh university, uploaded on March 27, 2005 by hisprincess on flickr

~

Five years have seen my idealism shrink and cynicism rise, only to have my inner cynic once again overshadowed by his idealist counterpart. I quit my long-standing job at the radio station and took a break from school to work, applied to the University of Edinburgh, and decided to study religion rather than classics. …

Back in autumn 2004 I’d hit rock bottom, and I decided that I needed to take charge and do something. When I decided to take time off school and apply for a year abroad, it was supposed to be about having control over my future. Yesterday, I realized that the future has been on my mind constantly, but not as a worry, not a source of stress, but as an exciting unknown gleaming with optimism, because it’s my own, and I have faith that I can make something good out of it.

Edinburgh, uploaded on April 22, 2006 by dhansak79 on flickr

I’ve only barely begun to make something out of it, of course; a year of study in Edinburgh is hardly ‘one giant leap for mankind.’ But I have made a decision. For a long time now, I’ve been thinking, deliberating, and idly talking about joining the Peace Corps or a similar organization.

~

John-John, “You’ve come a long way, baby,” LiveJournal
~
Sounds like an interesting guy. Thank God for these souls who see the future as “an exciting unknown gleaming with optimism.” -gw

“Coral Tree (Erythrina) by the Shrine of the Báb,” uploaded on May 15, 2006 by djKianoosh on flickr

The blogger of DailyBahai.com offers encouragement to everyone on a spiritual path and specific encouragement to Baha’is to take up blogging. Those are certainly my sentiments as well. -gw

This blog is about being a Bahá’í in today’s world. I think I should first explain what that means to be a Bahá’í. For me, being a Bahá’í means the following:

1. I believe in God and my concept of God is based on a balanced approach to science, faith, reason, and spirit.

2. I believe that God sends religion for humanity’s growth, development, and improvement, and that life is better when it is lived with religion.

3. I believe that the Bahá’í Faith is the latest religion sent to the world to deal with today’s issues, and that the Bahá’í Faith will help humanity reach its greatest potential

“Why am I a Baha’i?” DailyBahai.com: Insights on the world from a Baha’i perspective

“Coral Tree (Erythrina) by the Shrine of the Báb,” uploaded on May 15, 2006 by djKianoosh on flickr

The blogger of DailyBahai.com offers encouragement to everyone on a spiritual path and specific encouragement to Baha’is to take up blogging. Those are certainly my sentiments as well. -gw

This blog is about being a Bahá’í in today’s world. I think I should first explain what that means to be a Bahá’í. For me, being a Bahá’í means the following:

1. I believe in God and my concept of God is based on a balanced approach to science, faith, reason, and spirit.

2. I believe that God sends religion for humanity’s growth, development, and improvement, and that life is better when it is lived with religion.

3. I believe that the Bahá’í Faith is the latest religion sent to the world to deal with today’s issues, and that the Bahá’í Faith will help humanity reach its greatest potential

“Why am I a Baha’i?” DailyBahai.com: Insights on the world from a Baha’i perspective

Write Softly’s lengthy post “What’s Your Passion?” from which I have drawn a brief excerpt, is very lovely. She is so right. Raise the question “What is your passion?” and you get at the heart of what a person is all about. What’s yours? -gw

I’m passionate about the Baha’i faith (check it out at www.bahai.org). It’s not a people thing, but it’s what I believe at my core, in my soul, with my spirit, with all my heart. The idea of unity throughout mankind is what I’m all about, as well as the basic core beliefs that men and women are spiritually equal, there’s only one God and we all worship Him (sometimes from different faith perspectives), He only has one plan and He’s shared it with mankind through different Holy Messengers, and that everyone should embark on their own personal independent investigations into the truth of faith and God — those things are the fabric of who I am. I often do a crappy job of living the way God has asked me to, as a Baha’i, but I take comfort in my efforts, in the staunchness of my beliefs even when my deeds are lacking, and in His eternal forgiveness.

“What’s your passion?” Write Softly

Write Softly’s lengthy post “What’s Your Passion?” from which I have drawn a brief excerpt, is very lovely. She is so right. Raise the question “What is your passion?” and you get at the heart of what a person is all about. What’s yours? -gw

I’m passionate about the Baha’i faith (check it out at www.bahai.org). It’s not a people thing, but it’s what I believe at my core, in my soul, with my spirit, with all my heart. The idea of unity throughout mankind is what I’m all about, as well as the basic core beliefs that men and women are spiritually equal, there’s only one God and we all worship Him (sometimes from different faith perspectives), He only has one plan and He’s shared it with mankind through different Holy Messengers, and that everyone should embark on their own personal independent investigations into the truth of faith and God — those things are the fabric of who I am. I often do a crappy job of living the way God has asked me to, as a Baha’i, but I take comfort in my efforts, in the staunchness of my beliefs even when my deeds are lacking, and in His eternal forgiveness.

“What’s your passion?” Write Softly

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, elected in 2005. Photographer: Eric Van Zanten. Baha’i Media Bank. Photo originally in http://news.bahai.org/story.cfm?storyid=372

I voted. Actually I voted twice. Once in a recent bi-election to fill a vacancy on the local Baha’i Spiritual Assembly that came up when a member of the Assembly left to pioneer to China, and then in our District Convention to elect our delegate to the National Convention who will participate in the election for the members of the National Spiritual Assembly. Both elections were spiritual experiences for me.

It’s the political season in the United States with national, state, and local elections in less than two weeks. I will be voting in these elections, too.

As I listened to National Public Radio this morning in the car, I heard a story about a controversial political “attack ad,” one of many airing this year across the country. It reminded me why I am glad to be a Baha’i.

One of the best discussions about “Baha’i political thought” is contained in the remarkable defense of the Faith entitled Making the Crooked Straight: A Contribution to Baha’i Apologetics that devotes a chapter to the subject. Under a heading entited “On the Way to a New Type of Politics” are these sub-headings:

1. The concept of politics in Baha’i scripture
2. Loyalty to state authority
3. Baha’i elections: a non-partisan form of democratic appointment of government
4. A new model for political decision-making
5. Responsibility for the world we live in

Here is an excerpt from the discussion. -gw

Elections in the Baha’i system are not a struggle for political power conducted within the bounds of formal constraints. It is not the aim of Baha’i elections to measure support for rival manifestos or to represent different interest groups in a political contest. In Baha’i elections there is no nomination of candidates, no electoral propaganda, and no campaigning. Factionalism and partisanship are prohibited. It is not the aim to have one’s interests represented, nor to express a preference for certain policies or political ideals, but rather to select the most suitable individuals. Baha’i elections are concerned solely with choosing personalities. Their goal is to elect those people to decision-making offices who will not concentrate on their own interests but will cooperate with their fellow members to promote the general good. Election to such an office is not a right to which an individual is entitled by virture of any special achievements, his material standing, his education or any other attributes; neither is it an honour to be striven for, and it is most definitedly not a means of satisfying one’s power instincts: ‘In a Baha’i election no one is trying to be elected.’ Therefore, in the criteria given in the scripture for determining the suitability of an individual for electoral office priority is placed on the person’s qualities of character. Only someone who is ‘upright’, ‘loyal’, ‘honest’ and free of ‘prejudice, passion and partisanship’ can hope to meet the requirements of Baha’i consultation.

Ulrich Gollmer, “Baha’i Political Thought” in Making the Crooked Straight: A Contribution to Baha’i Apologetics, pp. 472-3

“Lotus Temple” on flickr, uploaded on March 14, 2005 by CaritoJames

Got an email from Jess, whose blog has been a rich source of material for re-posting (see here). -gw

George, I know you collect excerpts about Baha’i for your blog. There is an very lengthy thread about the Bible and religion on my mom’s board and this was a post made in the thread:

“Btw, Jess, about Bahai, are they the group that has these huge praying centers all over the world? I ask because there is a large building in Delhi India that is shaped kind of like a lotus flower. The accoustics in there is so amazing. My friend took me there and we just sat there and soaked up the atmosphere (and energy). Anyway, the energy from there was so strong it actually made me start to cry with how it was resonating around through everything. I’m getting a little teary just remembering even now years later. (A good kind of cry.) I don’t think I’ve even been in so sacred feeling a place.

Anyway, just wondering if that’s one of the places. I can’t remember what the name of the organization was, but Bahai sounds right to me as being the one with that place. It was a place where you can’t speak inside and they state they welcome all faiths and they have people all day just walk up and sing or chant or something.”

Just thought I would share! (She gave me permission to share it with you!)

Best, Jess